Altheron Drathir
Altheron Drathir is the brother of the Betrayer, Dar'Khan Drathir, and a former member of the Convocation of Silvermoon. When Dar'Khan betrayed the High Elves to Arthas Menethil, Altheron failed to stop him, fleeing in disgrace. He abandoned arcane magic and studied druidism under the tutelage of the green dragon Ysondre. In later years he worked to cleanse the corruption from Quel'Thalas, protected Nordrassil during the Cataclysm, and became an Archdruid of the Cenarion Circle while fighting the Emerald Nightmare during the third invasion of the Burning Legion. Biography Early Life (304 BDP - 19 ADP) Altheron was the eldest son of the Drathir family, a prominent family in Quel’Thalas from a long line of Magisters. He spent his childhood at their family home of Dawnstar Spire, along with his younger brother Dar’Khan and younger sister Alana. Both Altheron and Dar’Khan began training in the mystic arts at a very young age, while their sister Alana, who cared little about the ways of magic, learned how to manage the family estate. While Altheron had a natural talent for magic, he and Alana shared a love of nature, specifically of the beautiful golden woods around their home and the animals that lived there. Despite his love of beast and bough, responsibility drew Altheron away from the woods he loved and into the academies of Silvermoon. He had a natural gift and progressed quickly through his studies, surpassing most of his peers with ease. His younger brother Dar’Khan watched in envy as Altheron effortlessly cast spells which Dar'Khan struggled with. As time progressed, Dar’Khan’s mastery of magic did as well, though never as swiftly as he desired. He dreamed of one day surpassing his elder brother, but no matter what he did, Altheron always seemed 3 steps ahead of him. He began to despise Altheron, though his elder brother was ignorant of this enmity. Dar’Khan began delving into darker magics in his egotistical search for power, his forbidden research leading him to study the Void. Within Dawnstar Spire the young Dar’Khan conducted an experiment, seeking to open a portal to the broken remains of a world on the edge of the Void, where an object of unimaginable power lay. Altheron caught him in the middle of this experiment, breaking Dar’Khan’s concentration. Only quick action by Altheron kept Dar’Khan from being consumed by the implosion that destroyed that room of the Spire, as well as everything within. Altheron kept the event quite, not wanting his brother to be outcast for his forbidden research, though he made Dar’Khan promise to never use such magic again. Dar’Khan lied. As time passed, the three siblings grew distant, as Alana remained at their childhood home, Altheron rose among the ranks of the Magisters, and Dar’Khan made similar but far more gradual progress. Dar’Khan began to imagine that Altheron was purposefully halting his progress, fearing that his younger brother would surpass him. Dar’Khan continued to delve into dark magics in secret, always seeking out greater and darker powers. When the Second War came, Altheron was firmly among those that thought little of it. There was no way the Horde could possibly break through their defenses. He had his first lesson in humility then, as much of the woodland he loved (though he had nearly forgotten that childhood love) was destroyed by dragonfire during the Horde’s invasion of Quel’Thalas. He was proven at least partially correct however, as the Horde could not break through the Ban’dinoriel, the magical barrier protecting the capital of Silvermoon. He was among the mages maintaining the Ban’dinoriel during the Horde’s siege of the capital city. After the Horde’s siege ended, Altheron was rewarded by being given a place in the Convocation of Silvermoon, becoming one of the most powerful High Elves in Quel’Thalas. For Dar’Khan, seeing his brother take the seat he had always long for himself was too much. Third War (20) The years after the Second War were uneventful for Altheron. He saw his siblings less and less, though they were always friendly when they were able to meet. He never had any idea of the darkness festering within his brother’s heart. Nor did he know of Dar’Khan’s growing obsession with claiming the power of the Sunwell for himself. When Arthas began his invasion of Quel’Thalas, Altheron openly mocked the human prince’s hubris, declaring that just as the Horde had broken against them, so too would the Scourge. But the Scourge cut right through Quel’Thalas, striking down their Ranger-General and her Farstriders, leaving a permanent scar of dead earth through the center of their lands. Altheron and the rest of the Convocation gathered at the Sunwell, channeling its energies to power the Ban’dinoriel, the Scourge forces breaking against the magical barrier just as he had predicted. Then, to his surprise, the lines of energy connecting the Sunwell to the other Magisters began to sputter and fail, one by one. He realized with horror that somehow, impossible as it was, an enemy agent had infiltrated the Sunwell Plateau and was murdering the other Magisters. Altheron went out to confront the murderer, only to discover to his horror that it was Dar’Khan, his own brother. Dar’Khan claimed to have become more powerful than any of them, thanks to the power given by his new “master,” Arthas. Altheron saw then the darkness his brother had hidden, and resolved to destroy him before they lost everything. But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t kill his own brother. He opened a portal and leapt through it, cursing himself all the while. He exited the portal in his childhood home of Dawnstar Spire, which he found damaged and filled with corpses. In horrified desperation he searched and discovered Alana’s corpse, torn open by ghouls. He broke then, falling to his knees and holding her broken body to his chest. After an unknown stretch of time, he recovered enough to take Alana’s corpse to the woods they had both loved and burn her body, ensuring that she could never be raised into undeath. Aftermath (21-24) Altheron wandered the blighted forests of Quel’Thalas, keeping out of the way of wandering undead, his guilt too great to return to what remained of his people, if any remained. As he wandered, he thought. When Prince Kael’thas Sunstrider destroyed the Sunwell, Altheron felt his connection with the magical fount break off and believed it to be a punishment from the Sunwell itself for his failure, not knowing what had truly happened. He vowed to never wield Arcane magic again, blaming his people’s pride and hunger for power for both his brother's personal fall and the fall of their people. During these wanderings, as he fought off the first signs of magical withdrawal, Altheron felt as if he could feel the land’s pain, almost as if he could hear the trees and stones themselves crying out. He listened more and more, and found that he could hear them. The land was alive, in a way that he had never before imagined. As his connection to the land grew, he felt a call in his mind, leading him south. So he left the ghostly remnants of his home, traveling south, following the voice all the way to the Hinterlands, where he discovered the Great Tree in Seradane and met the green dragon Ysondre. Ysondre taught him the ways of the Wild and of the Emerald Dream, beginning his journey on the path to becoming a Druid. She gifted him one of her fangs, and taking a still-living sapling and the fang, he created a living weapon he called the Dreamscythe, infused with the energies of the Emerald Dream. Altheron returned home to Quel’Thalas then, now known as the Ghostlands, where he sought out the spirits of the Lynx and the Dragonhawk, who taught him how to take their forms. He heard from the spirits of the woods of the gathering of the “Blood Elves” and he traveled to the meeting, realizing that it had been too long since he had been among his own people. There he learned of Prince Kael’thas’s new “path” for their people. Altheron was shocked and horrified by the idea of feeding off the energy of living beings and spoke out vehemently against it. He was identified as the “Brother of the Betrayer,” and the majority of those assembled turned against him. Lor’themar Theron, the new Regent Lord of Quel’Thalas, knew that he could not lead a divided people, so he determined to banish those who refused the new path. So Altheron was banished from the land he loved and hoped to heal. While others who were banished settled at the Quel’Lithien Lodge, Altheron traveled back to the Hinterlands, where he reunited with his kin at the Quel’Danil Lodge, who had abandoned the Arcane long ago in favor of living in-tune with the land. He got his tattoos during his time with them, though after a time he determined he needed to continue his training, determining to travel west, to the lands of Kalimdor, where Ysondre had told him Druids came together under the leadership of the Cenarion Circle. Sailing west was not an easy endeavor, but he successfully found his way to the Cenarion Circle & sought their tutelage. The new leader of the Circle, Fandral Staghelm, refused his request, declaring the descendants of the traitorous Highborne unfit for acceptance into the Cenarion Circle. Altheron left dejected, sailing east once more, determined to return home & begin healing his home of its sickness, banishment or not. Upon returning to the Eastern Kingdoms, Altheron joined with a group of adventurers traveling through the Plaguelands, and together they fought against the Scourge in both the Plaguelands and the Ghostlands, facing against Dar'Khan multiple times before finally killing the Betrayer. Unfortunately, they would later discover that Dar'Khan has a difficult time staying dead. World of Warcraft (25) After the breaking of the Party, Altheron returned to the Ghostlands, seeking to continue his work healing the land. However, while he could heal large areas temporarily, he discovered that much of his work would be for not, as the necrotic energies all around sought to reclaim that which he had cleansed. He realized that his training was not complete, and that if he was to succeed in healing his home, he still had much to learn. He traveled west once more, demanding acceptance into the Cenarion Circle. Fandral Staghelm once again refused, but this time he was overruled by the other Archdruids, and Altheron was formally accepted into the Cenarion Circle. As the only known High Elven Druid, Altheron became known among the other members of the Circle as the “Druid of Quel’Thalas,” a title which he took proudly, though some used it as a term of derision. He worked hard and learned much in his time among the Circle, growing to love the Night Elven lands almost as much as his home in Quel’Thalas. But finally the time came, and Altheron returned to Quel’Thalas in secret, working to heal the land and bring it back to its old beauty. He was closer to the land than any High Elf before him, the spirits of the woods protecting him, hiding him from both Farstrider patrols and Magister scrying as he worked tirelessly to heal the land of its wounds. The Burning Crusade (26) The Blood Elves succeeded in returning almost half of Quel’Thalas to its former glory, though they did not realize that much of this was due to Altheron’s secret efforts. It was frustratingly slow work, and the Magisters that sought to use their arcane spells to cleanse the land often did more hurt than good, frustrating the Druid all the more. But he kept his efforts a secret, letting the Magisters believe their efforts were successful. He knew that if he was discovered, his kin would have little mercy for him. He eventually returned to his old home of Dawnstar Spire, where the remainder of the arcane golems that had once protected their home wandered wild. He found Alana's restless spirit wandering the halls of the Spire, and he used his powers to release her spirit from the mortal realm, allowing her to finally have rest. Altheron payed little attention to the matters in Outland, focusing solely on healing his home. All else was second to that mission. But he was not able to continue his work forever, as other matters soon called. Fury of the Sunwell When he heard of Blood Elf adventurers killing Dar’Khan, marking his fifth death, Altheron realized that Dar'Khan's evil would not die easily. When Kael’thas returned from Outland to “restore their glory” Altheron knew that this meant bringing back the Sunwell, and that Dar’Khan would seek its power once more. So while the heroes of the Alliance and Horde invaded the Isle of Quel’Danis and assaulted the Legion’s forces on the Sunwell Plateau, Altheron hunted down his brother and found him exactly where he expected: preparing to steal the Sunwell’s power. As the two brothers fought, Altheron pulled Dar’Khan away from the Sunwell, away from the much larger battle taking place between the defenders of Azeroth and Kael’thas’s demon-fueled armies. The battle did not go well for Altheron, as Dar’Khan’s power proved too great for the Druid once more. As the Betrayer was about to kill his elder brother, Altheron revealed that he had never expected to win this fight. All he had needed to do was distract Dar'Khan long enough. Too late, Dar’Khan realized his brother’s plan. Dar’Khan could not be killed because his life force was bound to the Sunwell. As long as it’s energies endured, so would he. Unless something changed. As the Prophet Velen purified the Sunwell with the heart of a fallen Naaru, the Arcane energies of the magical fount blended with the holy power of the Light. The Light flooded through Dar’Khan, clashing with the necromantic and Void-infused energies within him, tearing him apart. In that moment Dar’Khan faced his sixth and final death. Altheron cried then over the ashes of his fallen brother. Dar’Khan was a traitor and a murderer, but he was also his brother, and despite everything, Altheron had still loved him. So he cried, and he thanked all the gods that it was finally over. Wrath of the Lich King (27) When the Lich King sent his armies to invade the land of the living once more, Altheron was among the first to answer the call to Northrend and fight in the war against the Lich King. He flew straight to Stormwind City, readily joining the Valience Expedition, sailing from Stormwind to Valiance Keep in the Borean Tundra. In Northrend he was delighted to discover the existence of the Silver Covenant, a large group of High Elves who had come together to fight the Scourge and keep the Blood Elves out of the Kirin Tor. He cared little for the politics of the situation, simply glad to learn of more of his kin who had not chosen the path of vampirism that the Blood Elves had taken. While he never officially joined the Silver Covenant, he fought alongside them often against the undead armies of the Scourge. Cataclysm (28) After the Cataclysm rent Azeroth asunder, Altheron joined the rest of the Cenarion Circle in their efforts to heal the world. He joined the Guardians of Hyjal in defending the World Tree Nordrassil from the invasion by Ragnaros the Firelord and his fiery minions. It was there, at the roots of the World Tree, that he met Elariel Moonshadow. Young for a Night Elf (she was nearing her 100th birthday at the time), Elariel was a Sentinel from Ashenvale who had felt the land cry out in pain as it was rent during the Cataclysm. She had come to Hyjal seeking a teacher, and instead found destruction. While her natural connection to the wilds was apparent, no Druid could be spared to teach her, not with the World Tree itself threatened. Altheron liked the girl’s fierce nature and unrelenting determination, and they fought together against the forces of Ragnaros. When the threat from the Firelands subsided, Altheron offered to teach her in the ways of the Wild as Ysondre had taught him, which Elariel gladly accepted. Rise of the Zandalari When Altheron heard of the rising threat from his people’s ancient enemies in Zul’Aman, he determined to return home to help end it. Elariel demanded that he allow her to join him, as while she was new to the ways of Druids, she was still a skilled fighter. After a lengthy argument Altheron relented, and the two of them traveled to Quel’Thalas, joining the joint Blood Elven and High Elven forces in their siege of the Amani capital. Together they fought in the vanguard of the Elven armies, ending the Amani invasion before it could begin. He encountered two old mentors in this battle, as he freed the spirits of the Dragonhawk and the Lynx from the Amani’s binding. Rage of the Firelands Altheron and Elariel heard of the Firelord’s renewed assault against Hyjal and rushed back to the World Tree, Elariel’s Ashenvale-bound Hearthstone the only reason they managed to make it there. They joined in pushing back the Firelord’s forces once more, charging into the Firelands themselves. Mists of Pandaria (30) In the years following the Cataclysm, Altheron turned his efforts to healing the damage wrought upon the world and teaching Elariel the ways of the Wild and the Emerald Dream. Neither Altheron nor Elariel joined the expedition to Pandaria, focusing on healing the wounds left by the Cataclysm. Warlords of Draenor (31) Altheron and Elariel continued their efforts across Azeroth, returning to Quel’Thalas for a time to work on finally cleansing what remained of the Ghostlands. While Elariel wanted to join those charging through the Dark Portal, Altheron reminded her that their own world still had many wounds in need of mending. Other worlds could be left to those seeking glory. They had another task. Legion (32) When the Burning Legion invaded Azeroth once more, Altheron and Elariel stood alongside the rest of the Cenarion Circle as they came together to battle the Legion, staging their attacks from the Dreamgrove in Val’sharah, the birthplace of the Druid order. During the war, Altheron was elevated to the status of Archdruid and Elariel completed her druidic training, becoming a full member of the Cenarion Circle. They also joined the fight against the Emerald Nightmare, battling the Nightmare's influence in both Val'sharah and the Dream itself. Return to Karazhan Altheron and Elariel later joined the "united" elven (Night Elven, Blood Elven, High Elven, and Nightfallen) armies in their siege of Suramar and assault on the Nighthold. The Tomb of Sargeras Altheron joined the combined Armies of Legionfall in their assault on the Broken Shore and the Tomb of Sargeras, leaving Elariel behind to protect the Dreamgrove. Battle for Azeroth (33) Physical Description Altheron is slightly above average height for a High Elf at 6’1”, with long golden hair and deeply tanned skin. Like all of his kin he has long pointed ears and eyebrows, as well as bright blue eyes that glow faintly. His arms and chest are covered in spiraling blue tattoos similar to those worn by Alleria Windrunner, including the scar-shaped tattoo across the eye, though Altheron's tattoos are more extensive. Altheron's extensive use of Nature magic has altered him, his fingernails growing into claws, a few bright blue feathers growing amid his golden hair, and while all elves possess a set of vestigial fangs, Altheron's are much longer and more noticable than normal. He is also more muscular than is normal for the usually thin High Elves, his rugged lifestyle giving him a more athletic build. Altheron dresses mostly in browns and greens, with leather armor and a cloak of still-living leaves. He wields the living weapon he has named the Dreamscythe, made from a living sapling and a fang gifted to him by Ysondre. The weapon glows a bright green, its emerald aura filling those nearby with renewed energy. Personality Like many of his people, Pride has always been one of Altheron’s greatest flaws. Over time that pride has been dulled by experience and hardship, but it still remains a defining aspect of his personality. He distrusts all forms of dark magic, as well as those who practice these magics (though his time with the Edwards Twins has helped him to realize that there are exceptions to the rule). Altheron has a love of nature and a deep understanding of both Arcane and Nature magic, though he has sworn to never use the Arcane again. He hates the Scourge with a fiery passion, and fears nothing more than the possibility that after his death he could be raised as one of the mindless undead. Altheron has a good heart and is a true and loyal friend, but he is not to be underestimated. When angered he is more savage than the fiercest saber cat and more than willing to kill. He does not forgive easily and can hold grudges for a very long time. Altheron bears a lot of guilt over his role in both his brother’s and his people’s fall. He never forgets that he is the Brother of the Betrayer. External Links Altheron’s Armory Page Short Story: Brother of the Betrayer Category:Characters Category:High Elf Category:Druid Category:Quel'dorei Category:Alliance Category:Alliance Druid